Container assemblies having collapsible and erectable containers containing a packaging material

ABSTRACT

A container assembly is provided which includes a container selectively moveable between an erect condition and a collapsed or substantially flattened condition. A packaging material for support objects is disposed within an object receiving space of the container and secured thereto so that the packaging material remains in the object receiving space of the container when the container is in either the erect condition or the collapsed or substantially flattened condition.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 12/287,256, filedOct. 7, 2008, now abandoned; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.11/481,732, filed Jul. 6, 2006, now abandoned; which claims benefitunder 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/697,filed Jul. 7, 2005. The entire contents of each of the above-referencedpatents and patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated hereinby reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to a container assembly, andmore particularly to a container assembly which includes containersselectively movable between a collapsed condition and/or erect conditionwherein the containers contain a packaging material. In one aspect, thepresent invention relates to a container assembly having collapsibleand/or erectable containers containing a packaging material formed of aplurality of individual strips, strands or units of material which arebondingly connected to a flexible substrate to form a cohesivecushioning unit. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates toa container assembly having a collapsible and/or erectable floralcontainer and a flexible, inflatable substrate having a plurality ofindividual strips, strands or units of decorative material bondinglyconnected to the flexible inflatable substrate to form a cohesivecushioning unit.

2. Brief Description of Related Art

In the process of shipping an article from one location to another, thearticle may be placed in a container along with a protective packagingmaterial to fill voids about the article and to cushion the articleduring the shipping process. One such common protective packagingmaterial includes a plurality of polymeric foam peanut-shaped memberswhich are commonly known in the art as “Styrofoam Peanuts.” An advantageof using the Styrofoam Peanuts is the ease in which they may be disposedabout an article positioned in a container by simply pouring theStyrofoam Peanuts into the container.

While Styrofoam Peanuts have been widely accepted in the packagingindustry, they are not without disadvantages. For example, the lightweight and flowability of the Styrofoam Peanuts result in heavierarticles gravitating through the Styrofoam Peanuts to the bottom of thecontainer during shipping, and the receiver of the package is left withthe problem of disposing of the Styrofoam Peanuts once the package hasarrived at its destination and the article removed there from.

Strips of sheet material formed into tufts have also been used for manyyears as a packaging material. More specifically, material known asdecorative grass has been used in fruit baskets, Easter baskets, picnicbaskets, and for other packaging and decorative purposes.

Flowers and other plants have long been grown and displayed in pots,commonly referred to as “flower pots.” Flower pots are generallyconstructed of natural, earthen materials, such as clay which is in turnglazed and fired to produce a hardened non-flexible ceramic structure.Flower pots have also been constructed of plastic materials which arecolored or painted to have the appearance of an earthen material. Whileclay or ceramic flower pots are both aesthetically pleasing andeffectively serve the purpose of containing plant material in a growingmedium, inefficiencies are nevertheless experienced in shipping andstoring such containers due to their bulkiness and susceptibility tobreakage.

To this end, a need exists for a container assembly that can be shippedand stored in a substantially flattened or collapsed condition andreadily erected into a container that can protect fragile items, such asfigurines, ceramic objects and the like during shipping and/or storage.It is to such containers and flexible packaging materials that thepresent invention is directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assemblyof the present invention, the container assembly having a containercontaining a packaging material formed of a plurality of the strips orstrands of material, the container being shown in an erect condition.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of the containerassembly of FIG. 1 in a collapsed condition.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a container of the container assembly ofthe present invention, the container selectively movable between anerect condition and a collapsed condition, the container beingillustrated in the erect condition.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a strand or strip of material utilizedto construct a packaging material to form a cohesive cushioning unit forthe container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a flexible inflatable substrate assemblyin an inflated condition, the flexible inflatable substrate assemblycooperating with containers selectively movable between an erectcondition and a collapsed to construct a container assembly inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of the container ofFIG. 3 having the flexible inflatable substrate assembly of FIG. 5disposed therein, the flexible inflatable substrate assembly having aplurality of strands or strips of material disposed thereon.

FIG. 7 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assemblyconstructed in accordance with the present invention which includes thecontain of FIG. 3 and a flexible inflatable substrate assembly whereinthe flexible inflatable substrate assembly is in an inflated conditionand an upper surface of the flexible inflatable substrate assembly has apattern printed thereon to simulate a tuft of material formed of aplurality of strands of material.

FIG. 8 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assemblyof the present invention wherein a container is shown in an erectcondition and a flexible substrate is disposed therein.

FIG. 9 is a partially cut-away, perspective view of a container assemblyof the present invention wherein a tuft of material formed a pluralityof the strips or strands of the material of FIG. 4 is disposed within anobject receiving space of a container and supported on a flexiblesubstrate, the flexible substrate being disposed on the closed lower endof the container.

FIG. 10 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a container assemblyconstructed in accordance with the present invention wherein a containeris in an erect condition and a tuft of material is disposed therein.

FIG. 11 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the containerassembly of FIG. 10 wherein the container is in a partially collapsedcondition and has the tuft of material supported therein.

FIG. 12 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a container assemblywherein a container is in an erect condition and a tuft of material issupported therein.

FIG. 13 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the containerassembly of FIG. 12 wherein the container is in a partially collapsedcondition and has the tuft of material supported therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container assembly which includes acollapsible and/or erectable, shape-sustaining container and a packagingmaterial disposed in the container for supporting articles. In oneaspect, the present invention relates to a container assembly wherein apackaging material for supporting floral groupings, eggs and otherfragile articles is disposed in a connection to the collapsible and/orerectable container.

It is to be understood that while the terms “collapsible” or “erectable”may be used herein with respect to a particular embodiment of a shapesustaining container, one of ordinary skill in the art would easilyunderstand and could easily adapt the containers described herein to be“collapsible,” “erectable,” or both, and therefore such terms should beunderstood as being used interchangeably herein. As such, collapsibleshape sustaining containers, erectable shape sustaining containers, andcollapsible and erectable shape sustaining containers are all fullywithin the scope of the present invention, and the use of the term“collapsible” should be understood to also include containers that are“erectable,” while use of the term “erectable” should also be understoodto include containers that are “collapsible.”

Referring now to FIG. 1, shown therein is a container assembly 10constructed in accordance with the present invention. The containerassembly 10 includes a collapsible and/or erectable container 11 whichis disposed in an erect condition. The container 11 includes an openupper end 12, a closed lower end or bottom 14, an inner surface 16, anouter surface 18, and an object receiving space 20. A packaging material23 is disposed within the object receiving space 20 of the container 11for cushioning objects supported in the object receiving space 20 of thecontainer 11. At least a portion of the packaging material 23 isconnected to at least one of the inner surface 16 and the closed lowerend 14 of the container 11 so that the packaging material 23 remainssubstantially within the object receiving space 20 of the container 11where the container 11 is moved to the collapsed condition (FIG. 2). Aswill be more fully described herein after, the packaging material 23 canbe a tuft of material, a flexible, inflatable substrate assembly, aflexible substrate assembly or combinations thereof.

To enhance the movement of the container 10 between the erect condition(FIG. 1) and the collapsed or flattened condition (FIG. 2), thecontainer 11 may be provided with a gusset 22 in the closed lower end 14thereof. The above embodiment of the collapsible and/or erectablecontainer 10, as well as other embodiments of such containers, isdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/103,405 filed Mar. 11,2005, the entire contents of such application being hereby specificallyincorporated herein by reference.

Referring now to FIG. 3, shown therein is one strip or strand ofmaterial 24 employed to form a tuft 26 of material disposed within theobject receiving space 20 of the container 11 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The tuftof the material 26, which is made up of a plurality of individual stripsor strands 24 and which may be intertwined with one another, can besupported within the object receiving space 20 of the container 11 forcushioning objects disposed within the object receiving space 20 of thecontainer 10 as will be described in more detail herein after. The tuftof material 26 can be connected to at least a portion of the innersurface 16 of the container 11 so that the tuft of material 26 extendsfrom the closed lower end 14 of the container 10 toward the open upperend 12 thereof; or the tuft of material 26 can be connected to aflexible, inflatable substrate assembly 28 (FIG. 5) supported within theobject receiving space 20 of the container 11 so as to be disposedsubstantially adjacent the closed lower end 14 of the container 11(FIGS. 6 and 7) as will be described in more detail herein after; or thetuft of material 26 can be connected to a flexible substrate 28 asupported within the object receiving space 20 of the container 11 so asto be disposed substantially adjacent the closed lower end 14 of thecontainer 11 (FIGS. 8 and 9). Thus, the tuft of material 26, in additionto being bonded to the flexible, inflatable substrate assembly 28, maybe bonded to the flexible substrate 28 a (FIGS. 8 and 9), and the tuftof material 26 may also be bonded to at least a portion of the innersurface 16 of the container 11 which surrounds the object receivingspace 20 of the container 11.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the packaging material 23 isillustrated as the tuft of material 26 and the tuft of material 26 isillustrated as being disposed within at least a portion of the objectreceiving space 20 of the container 11 and secured therein by bonding atleast a portion of the tuft of material 26 to at least a portion of theclosed lower end 14 and/or the inner surface 16 of the container 11. Ifdesired, the strips or strands of material 24 which constitutes the tuftof material 26 can be intertwined and bonded together by applying abonding material to at least a portion of the individual strips orstrands of material 24 and/or at least a portion of the closed lower end14 of the container 10 and/or the inner surface 16 of the container 11.

In FIG. 1 the container 11 is depicted in an erect condition and thetuft of material 26 fills a substantial portion of the object receivingspace 20 of the container 11. As previously discussed, the tuft ofmaterial 26 is bondingly connected to at least a portion of the closedlower end 14 and/or the inner surface 16 of the container 11 so thatwhen the container 11 is moved to a collapsed condition as shown in FIG.2, the tuft of material 26 is compressed and remains in the objectreceiving space 20 of the collapsed container 11.

The individual strips or strands of material 24 utilized to produce thetuft of material 26 can be fabricated from any flexible materialincluding, but not limited to, paper, crape paper, polymeric film, waxpaper, laminates and combinations thereof. For example, at least oneclear layer of polymeric material can be laminated to at least oneiridescent layer of polymeric film so as to provide an iridescent effectto the laminated polymeric film, and thus the individual strips orstrands of material 24 produced from the sheet of laminated material. Inaddition, the flexible material from which the individual strips orstrands of material 24 are fabricated may have printed material and/orone or more embossed patterns on at least a portion of at least one sidethereof, and the one or more embossed patterns may be in register or outof register with the printed material and/or each other.

The plurality of individual strips or strands of material 24 may also befabricated from organic or inorganic materials, including leaves, treebark, branches, dirt, sand, sea shells, Spanish moss or any other typeof organic or inorganic material that is capable of forming the tuft ofmaterial 26 and/or capable of being bondingly connected to at least oneof the closed lower end 14 and/or the inner surface 16 of the container11 and/or the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 or the flexiblesubstrate 28 a supportable on the closed lower end 14 of the container11 such that the tuft of material 26 is disposed in the object receivingspace 20 of the container 10 and thereby provides a decorative and/orcushioning effect for objects supported within the object receivingspace 20 of the container 11. Furthermore, when the strips or strands ofmaterial 24 are fabricated from a flexible material, additionalinorganic and/or organic materials may be attached onto or beincorporated into the strips or strands of material 24 prior to or afterforming the tuft of material 26 from the strips or strands of material24.

As previous stated, at least a portion of at least one side of thestrips or strands of the material 24 can be provided with printedmaterial thereon. The printed material on the flexible material fromwhich the individual strips or strands of material 24 are fabricated canbe printed in a conventional manner so that when the flexible materialis slit and cut to produce the strips or strands of material 24 at leasta portion of the strips or strands of material 24 contain at least aportion of the printed material. Further, different colors can beemployed to provide the printed material on the sheet of material fromwhich the plurality of individual strips or strands of material 24 arefabricated.

Also, the flexible material employed to produce the strips or strands ofmaterial 24 may include one or more embossed patterns which are providedon the flexible material prior to slitting and cutting the sheet ofmaterial to provide the strips or strands of material 24. Further, theflexible material can be provided with an embossed pattern as well as aprinted pattern, and the embossed pattern may be either in register orout of register with the printed material, which may be in the form ofwriting, a design, or any other style of printing depicting any messagethat the user desires.

The individual strips or strands of material 24, as described above, arecommonly referred to as “Easter grass” or “decorative grass” and suchhave been used for many years in filling fruit baskets, Easter baskets,picnic baskets, and for other decorative and packaging purposes. Thedecorative grass of the prior art has been produced by numerous methodsand from a variety of materials, such as those listed above. Typically,such materials are shredded and cut to produce segmented strips havingpredetermined dimensions. While the prior art methods for making thedecorative grass have been widely accepted, new techniques forfacilitating the use of decorative grass as a packaging material havebeen sought in view of the fact that decorative grass and other looseshredded packaging material of the prior art readily fall onto thefloor, cling to various objects making them awkward and inconvenient toclean up, and often compact and thereby no longer adequately cushionand/or protect items placed thereon.

By forming the strips or strands of material 24 into the tuft ofmaterial 26 (which is composed of a plurality of the strips or strandsof material 24) and connecting the tuft of material 26 to the closedlower end 14 and/or the interior surface 16 of the container 11 asherein before described with reference FIGS. 1 and 2, or by connectingthe tuft of material 26 to the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28or the flexible substrate 28 a as will be described in more detailherein after, clean up problems associated with loose fill materials arealleviated and the container 11 containing the tuft of material 26 canbe selectively moved between the erect condition as shown in FIG. 1 andthe collapsed condition as shown in FIG. 2 without the strips or strandsof material 24 forming the tuft of material 26 falling from the objectreceiving space 20 of the container 11.

Referring now to FIG. 5, shown therein is a packaging material whichincludes the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 having the tuftof material 26 formed of a plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterial 24 bondingly connected thereto. As can be appreciated, byconnecting the tuft of material 26 to the flexible inflatable substrateassembly 28, not only is the problem associated with the clean-up ofloose fill material alleviated, but since the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly 28 is capable of being inflated, the compactingproblems associated with loose fill material are also alleviated andlesser amounts of fill material are required. The flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly 28 can also be caused to adhere or cohere to anobject and/or the container 11 in which it is placed thereby resultingin an attached packaging effect. That is, with loose fill packagingmaterial the object being packed has a tendency to gravitate through thepackaging material to the bottom of the container thereby reducing theeffectiveness of the packaging material. By using the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28 disclosed herein, the cohesiveness ofthe tuft of material 26 and the flexible inflatable substrate assembly28 retard the object supported thereon from gravitating through thecontainer 11 towards the closed lower end 14 of the container 11.

The flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 for use in the presentinvention is fabricated of a first sheet of material 30 and second ofmaterial 32. It will be appreciated that the dimensions of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28 may be varied and the shape of theflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 may also, therefore, bevaried—e.g., a circle, square, triangle, heart, and animal shape, afloral shape, etc.

The flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 which can be employed as apackaging material in accordance with the present invention can befabricated of any flexible material capable of retaining a fluid, suchas air, in an inflatable chamber 34 formed by the union of the first andsecond sheets of the material 30 and 32, respectively. Examples ofmaterials capable of being employed to form the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly 28 include, but are not limited to, polymericmaterials, laminated polymeric materials, fabrics having a fluidimpervious coating, foil and alike.

The flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 which can be employed as apackaging material in accordance with the present invention may alsohave printed material 37 (FIG. 7) and/or one or more embossed patterns38 on at least a portion of at least one of first sheet of material 30and the second sheet of material 32, and the one or more embossedpatterns 38 can be in register or out of register, or partially inregister and partially out of register with the printed material 36. Inaddition, different colors can be employed to provide the printedmaterial or pattern on at least one of the first or second sheets ofmaterial 30 and/or and 32, such as the first sheet of material 30, sothat when the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 is positionedwithin the object receiving space 20 of the container 11 substantiallyadjacent the closed lower end 14 thereof, the printed and/or embossedpatterns are visible.

It should be noted the printed material 37 may be a pictorialrepresentation with the color or shape of the tuft of material 26 formedof a plurality of the strips or strands of material 24 so that when asmall amount of the plurality of individual strips or strands 24 areemployed to form the tuft of material 26, and the tuft of material 26 isbondingly connected to the first sheet of the material 30 of theflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28, the printed material fills inthe voids between the plurality of individual strips or strands ofmaterials 24 such that it appears that there are few or no actual voidsin the tuft of material 26 formed from the plurality of strips orstrands of material 24 thereby resulting in an aesthetically pleasingflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28. Alternatively, at least onesurface of the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28, such as anupper surface 36 of the first sheet of the material 30, can be printedso as to give the appearance of the presence of the tuft of material 26without the tuft of material 26 being formed from a plurality of stripsor strands of material 24.

The first sheet of material 30 and the second sheet of material 32 ofthe flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 may be constructed of asingle layer of material or a plurality of layers of the same ordifferent types of material. In addition, the thickness of the firstsheet of material 30 and the second sheet of material 32 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28 may vary widely, the only requirementbeing that the first and second sheets of material 30 and 32,respectively, have sufficient structural integrity to support objectsplaced thereon without the weight of the objects causing damage to theflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28.

The first sheet of material 30 is bonded via a bonding material (notshown) to the second sheet of material 32 so as to provide theinflatable chamber 34 of the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28.The flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 is further provided with avalve 39 which is in fluid communication with the inflatable chamber 34and thus provides a conventional method of injecting a gas, such as air,into the inflatable chamber 34 of the flexible inflatable substrateassembly 28 so as to inflate the flexible inflatable substrate assembly28.

Any type of valve capable of introducing a gas, such as air, into theinflatable chamber 34 of the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28can be employed as the valve 39 in the practice of the presentinvention, provided that the valve closes off the inflatable chamber 34once the inflatable chamber 34 has been inflated. Such valves are wellknown in the art. Thus, any conventional valve capable of performing thefunctions described above can be employed as the valve 39 of theflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28.

In place of the valve 39, one may inflate the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly 28 utilizing an exothermic reaction which produces agas capable of filling at least a portion of the inflatable chamber 34of the flexible inflatable assembly 28. In order to provide anexothermic reaction, the inflatable chamber 34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28 may be provided with at least twochambers where at least one chamber contains a weak basic compositionand at least one chamber contains a weak acid composition such that,upon breaking open the at least one chamber containing the weak acidcomposition and the at least one chamber containing the weak basiccomposition, a reaction occurs which forms a gaseous reaction productthat substantially fills the inflatable chamber 34 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28. The weak basic composition may includea Group I or a Group II element and examples of such weak basiccompositions include sodium carbonate, calcium carbonate, andcombinations thereof. The weak acid composition may be vinegar. Althoughcertain compositions have been disclosed as being capable of producingan exothermic reaction, any combination of composition that, when placedin reactive contact with one another, produces a gaseous reactionproduct that fills the inflatable chamber 34 of the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly 28 can be employed provided that the compositions arenot deliterious to the first and second sheets of material 30 and 32from which the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 is constructed.

Although the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 is shown in FIG.5 as having a circular configuration, is to be understood that theflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 can be of any shape and theparticular shape will be depended on the configuration of the closedlower end 14 of the container 11. For example, if the closed lower end14 of the container 11 has a square configuration, the configuration ofthe flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 will desirably also besquare. On the other hand, if the closed lower end 14 of the container11 has a rectangular configuration then the configuration of theflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 will desirably also berectangular.

To secure the tuft of material 26 to an exterior surface of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28, such as the upper surface 36 of thefirst sheet of material 30, at least a portion of the upper surface 36of the first sheet of material 30 of the flexible inflatable substrateassembly 28 is coated with a bonding material, such as an adhesive orcohesive bonding material, whereby the tuft of material 26 is bonded tothe upper surface of the first sheet of material 30 of the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28 substantially as shown in FIGS. 5 and6. As previously stated, the tuft of material 26 is formed of aplurality of strips or strands of material 24 which are intertwined anddesirably bonded together. The strips or strands of material 24 employedin the formation of the tuft of material 26 are well known and can beproduced by slitting a web of material and thereafter cutting the slitweb of material to provide strips or strands of material having desireddimensions. The bonding material can be applied to the strips or strandsof material 24 either prior to cutting the slit web of material toproduce the strips or strands of material 34 or after such strips orstrands of material 24 had been produced. As an alternative to formingthe individual strips or strands of material 24 as described hereinbefore, it will be appreciated that the individual strips or strands ofmaterial 24 may be formed from a polymeric film discharged from a filmextrusion die which is then chilled prior to the slitting process. Sucha method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,266, entitled “Process ForMaking Decorative Grass”, issued to Weder et al. on Sep. 29, 1981, theentire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

Referring now to FIG. 6 in combination with FIG. 5, the flexibleinflatable substrate assembly 28 shown in FIG. 5 is positioned adjacentthe closed lower end 14 of the container 11 substantially as shown inFIG. 6. Thereafter, additional quantities of the tuft of material 26formed from the strips or strands of material 24 are positioned on theflexible inflatable substrate assembly 28. By intertwining the strips orstrands of material 24 during the formation of the tuft of material 26,in combination with the adhering of the tuft of material 26 to anexterior surface, such as the upper surface 36 of the first sheet ofmaterial 30 of the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28, theadditional tuft of material 26 is secured and stabilized within theobject receiving space 20 of the container 11. If desired, and tofurther enhance stabilization of the tuft of material 26 within theobject receiving space 20 of the container 11, at least a portion of theinner surface 16 of the container 11 can be coated with a suitablebonding of material such that the tuft of material 26 is bondilyconnected, not only to the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28,but also to the inner surface 16 of the container 10. As previouslystated, each of the individual strips or strands of material 24 can alsobe coated with a bonding material to enhance cohesion of the strips orstrands of material 24 during formation of the tuft of material 26.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28is provided with a printed pattern 39 representing a plurality strips orstrands of material on at least one surface thereof, such as the uppersurface 36 of the first sheet of material 30 of the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly 28. Desirably, the flexible inflatable substrateassembly 28 is bondily connected to the closed lower end 14 of thecontainer 11 to ensure its stability therein. However, it should beunderstood that the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28 can bedisposed within the object receiving space 20 of the container 11 so asto be disposed adjacent the closed lower end 14 of the container 11 andsupported therein without the use of any bonding material.

The above embodiments of the flexible inflatable substrate assembly 28,as well as other embodiments of flexible inflatable substrate assemblieswhich may be employed in the practice of the present invention aredisclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/063,024entitled Flexible Packaging Materials And Methods Of Making A UsingSame, filed Feb. 22, 2005, the entire contents of such application beinghereby specifically incorporated herein by reference.

Referring now to FIG. 8, shown therein is a flexible substrate 28 adisposed within the container 11 such that the flexible substrate 28 ais positioned substantially adjacent the closed lower end 14 of thecontainer 11 substantially as shown. The flexible substrate 28 a may beprovided with a printed pattern 42 on an upper surface 44 thereof whichmay be a pictorial representation of a tuft of material formed of aplurality of strips or strands of material such as the tuft of material26 formed of a plurality of the strips or strands of material 24 hereinbefore described. If desired, in addition to the printed pattern 42, atuft of material 26 a may be bondingly connected to the upper surface 44of the flexible substrate 28 a whereby the printed pattern 42 fills thevoids between the plurality of individual strips or strands of material24 a employed to form the tuft of material 26 a such that it appearsthat there are few or no actual voids in the tuft of material 26 athereby resulting in an aesthetically pleasing flexible substrate 28 a(FIG. 9). It should be noted that the flexible substrate 28 a can beemployed in the practice of the present invention where only the uppersurface 42 of the flexible substrate 28 a is provided with the printedpattern 44 to give the appearance of a tuft of material without the tuftof material being present (FIG. 7); or the tuft of material 26 can bebondingly connected to the upper surface 42 of the flexible substrate 28a as hereinbefore described.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the flexible substrate 28 a is shown as havinga tuft of material 26 a bondingly connected thereto wherein the tuft ofmaterial 26 a is formed of a plurality of individual strips or strandsof material similar to the strips or strands of material 24 hereinbefore described. As can be appreciated, by connecting the tuft ofmaterial 26 a to the flexible substrate 28 a, not only is the problemassociated with the clean-up of loose fill material alleviated, but thetuft of material 26 a reduces the tendency of the object being packagedwithin the container 11 from gravitating through the tuft of material 26a to the closed lower end 14 of the container 11. Further, since theflexible substrate 28 a is disposed substantially adjacent the closedlower end 14 of the container 11, the container 11 can be selectivelymoved to the collapsed or substantially flattened condition whereby thetuft of material remains within the object receiving space 20 of thecontainer 11 in the same manner as has been herein before described withreference to FIG. 2. It should also be noted that the tuft of material26 a can also be bondingly connected to the interior surface 16 of thecontainer 11 and/or the flexible substrate 28 a can be bondinglyconnected to the closed lower end 14 of the container 11 to ensurestabilization of the tuft of material 26 a within the object receivingspace 20 of the container 11 when the container 11 is in either theerect condition as shown in FIG. 1, or the collapsed condition as shownin FIG. 2.

The flexible substrate 28 a can be fabricated with any material whichhas sufficient flexibility to permit the container 11 to be selectivelymoved to the collapsed or flattened condition, while at the same timehaving sufficient structural integrity to permit either the printing ofthe printed pattern 42 on the upper surface 44 thereof or to permit thetuft of material 26 a to be bondingly connected to the upper surface 44of the flexible substrate 28 a. Typical materials which may be employedin the construction of the flexible substrate 28 a are polymeric film,paper, cardboard, laminations thereof or any other material capable offunctioning in the matter herein described.

Referring now to FIG. 10, shown therein is another embodiment of acontainer assembly 50 constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. The container assembly 50 is provided with a collapsibleand/or erectable container 51 which is disposed in an erect condition inFIG. 10 and a collapsible or substantially flattened condition in FIG.11. The container 51 includes an open upper end 52, a closed lower end54, an inner surface 56, an outer surface 58, and an object receivingspace 60.

A packaging material 61 (i.e., a tuft of material 62 formed of aplurality of individual strips or strands of material 64, such as theindividual strips or strands 24 herein before described and which may beintertwined with one another), is disposed within the object receivingspace 60 of the container 51 for cushioning objects disposed within theobject receiving space 60 of the container 51. The tuft of material 62can be connected to at least a portion of the inner surface 56 of thecontainer 51 so that the tuft of material 62 extends from the closedlower end 54 of the container 51 towards the open upper end 52 thereof;or the tuft of material 62 can be connected to a flexible, inflatablesubstrate assembly such as the flexible, inflatable substrate assembly28 herein before described; or to a flexible substrate 28 a as alsoherein before described.

When employing a flexible, inflatable substrate assembly or a flexiblesubstrate in combination with the container 51, the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly or the flexible substrate are supported within theobject receiving space 60 of the container 51 in the same manner asherein before described with reference to the container 11. Whenemploying a flexible inflatable substrate assembly or a flexiblesubstrate in combination with the tuft of material 62, the tuft ofmaterial 62 may be bondingly connected to the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly or the flexible substrate as herein before described,and the tuft of material 62 may also be bonded to at least a portion ofthe inner surface 56 of the container 51 which surrounds the objectreceiving space 60 of the container 51.

As previously stated, the strips or strands of material 64 constitutingthe tuft of material 62 can be intertwined and bonded together byapplying a bonding material to at least a portion of the closed lowerend 54 and/or the inner surface 56 of the container 51. Further, thestrips or strands of material 64 which constitutes the tuft of material62 can be formed into a mass of the tuft of material 62 by employing acombination of a bonding material and the mere intertwining of thestrips or strands of material 64 constituting the tuft of material 62.

As shown in FIG. 10, the container 51 can be selectively disposed in acollapsed or substantially flattened condition. When the container 51 isin the collapsed or substantially flattened condition, the tuft ofmaterial 62 remains within the object receiving space 60 of thecontainer 51 in the same manner herein before described with referenceto the container 11.

Referring now to FIG. 11, another embodiment of a container assembly 70for use in the practice in the present invention is shown. The containerassembly 70 is provided with an inflatable container 71 which can beselectively inflated to an erect condition (as shown in FIG. 12) ordeflated so as to be disposed in a collapsed or substantially flattenedcondition (as shown in FIG. 13). The container 71 is provided with anopen upper end 72, a closed lower end 74, an inner surface 76, an outersurface 78, and an object receiving space 80.

A tuft of material 82 is formed of a plurality of individual strips orstrands of material 84, such as the individual strips or strands ofmaterial 24 herein before described, which may be intertwined with oneanother and which can be supported within the object receiving space 80of the container 71 for cushioning objects disposed within the objectreceiving space 80 of the container 71 when the container 71 is in aninflated or erect condition. The tuft of material 82 can be connected toat least a portion of the inner surface 76 of the container 71 so thatthe tuft of material 82 extends from the closed lower end 74 of thecontainer 71 towards the open upper end 72 thereof; or the tuft ofmaterial 82 can be connected to a flexible, inflatable substrate such asthe flexible inflatable substrate 24 herein before described or to aflexible substrate such as the flexible substrate 28 a as also hereinbefore described.

When employing a flexible inflatable substrate assembly or a flexiblesubstrate in combination with the container 71, the flexible inflatablesubstrate assembly or the flexible substrate are supported within theobject opening 80 of the container 71 in the same manner is hereinbefore described with reference to the container 11. When employing aflexible inflatable substrate assembly or a flexible substrate incombination with the tuft of materials 82, the tuft of material 82 canbe bondingly connected to the flexible inflatable substrate assembly orthe flexible substrate as hereinbefore described, and the tuft ofmaterial may also be bonded to at least a portion of the inner surface76 which surrounds the object receiving space 80 of the container 71.

The strips or strands of material 84 constituting the tuft of material82 can be intertwined and bonded together by applying a bonding materialto at least a portion of the closed lower end 74 and/or the innersurface 76 of the container 71. Further, the strips or strands ofmaterial 84 which constitutes the tuft of material 82 can be formed intoa mass of the tuft of material 82 by employing a combination of bondingmaterial and the mere intertwining of the strips or strands of materialconstituting the tuft of material 82. As shown in FIG. 13, when thecontainer is selectively disposed in a substantially collapsed,flattened, or deflated condition, the tuft of material 82 remains withinthe object receiving space 80 of the container 71 in the same mannerhereinbefore described with reference to the container 11. Lastly, it isto be understood that the container 71 can be provided with a pictorialdecoration on the outer surface 78 thereof, such as, for example, apictorial representation of a chicken.

From the above description, it is clear that the present invention iswell adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantagesmentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. Whilecertain embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes ofthis disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be madewhich will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art andwhich are accomplished within the spirit of the invention disclosed andclaimed.

1. A method of packaging an item, comprising the steps of: providing acontainer assembly in a collapsed condition, the container assemblycomprising: a container having an open upper end, a closed lower end, aninner surface, an outer surface and an object receiving space, thecontainer selectively movable between the collapsed condition and anerect condition; and a packaging material disposed within the objectreceiving space of the container for cushioning objects supported in theobject receiving space of the container, at least a portion of thepackaging material connected to at least a portion of at least one ofthe inner surface and the closed lower end so that the packagingmaterial remains substantially within the object receiving space of thecontainer when the container is in the collapsed condition; opening thecontainer assembly to the erect condition; and disposing an item on thepackaging material disposed within the object retaining space of thecontainer.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein, in the step of providing acontainer assembly, the packaging material comprises a tuft of materialformed of a plurality of intertwined strips of material.
 3. The methodof claim 1 wherein, in the step of providing a container assembly, atleast a portion of the intertwined strips of the packaging material arebonded together.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein, in the step ofproviding a container assembly, the container is provided with a gussetto enhance movement of the container between the collapsed condition andthe erect condition.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein, in the step ofproviding a container assembly, the packaging material is a flexiblesupport member disposable adjacent at least a portion of the closedlower end of the container, the flexible support member having a printedpattern disposed on at least a portion thereof so as to provide theflexible support member with an appearance simulating the appearance ofgrass.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the flexible support memberfurther includes an embossed pattern on at least a portion thereof. 7.The method of claim 5, wherein the packaging material further includes atuft of material connected to at least a portion of the upper surface ofthe flexible support member.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein theprinted pattern is provided on at least a portion of the upper surfaceof the flexible support member and the printed pattern simulates theappearance of decorative grass.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein theembossed pattern is in register with the printed pattern.
 10. The methodof claim 6, wherein the embossed pattern is out of register with theprinted pattern.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein, in the step ofproviding a container assembly, the packaging material comprises aninflatable support member disposable adjacent at least a portion of theclosed lower end of the container.
 12. The method of claim 11, whereinthe inflatable support member is provided with a printed patterndisposed on at least a portion thereof to provide the inflatable supportmember with an appearance that simulates the appearance of grass. 13.The method of claim 12, wherein the inflatable support member furtherincludes an embossed pattern on at least a portion thereof.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the printed pattern is in register with theembossed pattern.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the printedpattern is out of register with the embossed pattern.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the packaging material further includes a mass of atleast one of individual strips of material, individual strands ofmaterial and individual units of material connected to the inflatablesupport member.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein an upper surface ofthe inflatable support member is provided with a printed pattern thereonsimulating the appearance of the mass of at least one of individualstrips of material, individual strands of material and individual unitsof material connected thereto.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein thepackaging material further includes a bonding material disposed on atleast a portion of the mass of at least one of individual strips ofmaterial, individual strands of material and individual units ofmaterial to form a cohesive mass of at least one of individual strips ofmaterial, individual strands of material and individual units ofmaterial connected to the inflatable substrate.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein the at least one of individual strips of material,individual strands of material and individual units of material areintertwined to form a cohesive mass of at least one of individual stripsof material, individual strands of material and individual units ofmaterial and wherein at least a portion of the cohesive mass of at leastone of individual strips of material, individual strands of material andindividual units of material are connected to the inflatable supportmember.